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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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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: track · file · stand · hide · spell · straw · face · roll

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stand — to bear
  6. track — a song
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — part of the head
  9. roll — a cake
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. face — to confront
  12. spell — magic
  13. face — to point toward
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — to keep track
  17. roll — a list
  18. spell — letters
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. track — a path
  22. spell — a short time
  23. file — a line of people
  24. straw — dry grass

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