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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rock — music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — finally
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. net — after costs
  14. rush — hurry
  15. last — to go on
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. net — in sport
  20. file — a tool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. net — for catching
  24. file — a document

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