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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rest — a break
  5. present — the time now
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. present — there
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. file — a document
  20. rest — what's left
  21. present — a gift
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com