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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — in sport
  3. drill — the tool
  4. file — a document
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — a phone
  10. file — a tool
  11. shower — to wash
  12. file — a line of people
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cell — in biology
  16. drill — army training
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — of the year
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cue — for pool

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