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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 120 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: mug · cue · cap · wake · hide · land · charge · file

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. file — a tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — to come down
  5. mug — a face
  6. charge — in control
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mug — to rob
  13. land — ground
  14. charge — a price
  15. cue — for pool
  16. land — a country
  17. file — a document
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cap — a hat
  22. charge — electricity
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mug — a cup

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