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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 116 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: hide · file · fine · snap · game · lie · march · hand

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. march — music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. hand — help
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fine — high quality
  8. file — a document
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fine — all right
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a tool
  21. game — a match
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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