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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — rain
  8. field — for sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. file — a document
  11. shower — to wash
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. field — farmland
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mate — to breed
  23. field — a subject
  24. hide — to keep secret

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