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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  3. file — a document
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rule — a law
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rule — government
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. fall — the season
  17. pop — soda
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fall — to drop
  23. straw — a straw man
  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