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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 124 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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mark — a trace
  4. last — to go on
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. last — finally
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ground — crushed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a tool
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. last — final
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. file — a document

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