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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — a stick
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. file — a line of people
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spell — a short time
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stand — to bear
  9. file — a tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. mine — for digging
  12. staff — employees
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. file — a document
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. foot — a measure
  20. spell — magic
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. spell — letters
  24. stand — for spectators

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