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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. pit — in a race
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — to crush
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. file — a document
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spell — magic
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. bound — certain
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rule — a law
  23. pit — a hole
  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