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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · file · calf · present · chest · hide

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. 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. rule — a law
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rule — government
  8. chest — a box
  9. file — a document
  10. present — there
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. file — a line of people
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. 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