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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — farmland
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. file — a document
  6. drill — a practice
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — for sport
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fall — the season
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. drill — army training
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mine — for digging
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — a subject
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rock — music
  24. file — a tool

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