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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bound — tied together
  6. file — a tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. face — to confront
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. date — the fruit
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. hide — animal skin

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