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

Word bank: land · file · rule · hide · dip · pitch · race · lie

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rule — government
  4. file — a document
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. land — to come down
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. land — ground
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rule — a law
  19. race — the arms race
  20. land — a country
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. dip — a sauce

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