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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. kick — in football
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. file — a document
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. kick — with a leg
  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