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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. mate — to breed
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. file — a document
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — army training
  13. club — a group
  14. drill — a practice
  15. file — a tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mate — a partner
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. drill — the 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