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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. file — a document
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. hand — help
  10. root — the cause
  11. board — to get on
  12. mine — for digging
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. board — a committee
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — of a word
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hand — in cards

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