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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: rush · hand · hide · coach · file · lie · season · march

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. hand — help
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. file — a tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. march — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. lie — to recline
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — hurry
  22. file — a document
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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