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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. net — after costs
  4. file — a tool
  5. rash — a series
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. net — for catching
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stand — to bear
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. face — part of the head
  22. file — a document
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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