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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. band — a music group
  4. staff — employees
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. chip — for betting
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. staff — a stick
  22. file — a document
  23. kick — in football
  24. band — a ring

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