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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: ground · capital · content · coach · dip · mate · file · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. dip — to sink
  3. content — happy
  4. capital — money
  5. ground — a position
  6. file — a document
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. content — the amount
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. file — a line of people
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mate — to breed
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. capital — a city

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