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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · hide · fan · nail · chest · mate · file · object

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. object — to protest
  3. file — a document
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. object — an aim
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mate — to breed
  8. file — a tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. object — a thing
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hand — help
  15. mate — a friend
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. file — a line of people
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — a box

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