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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.

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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: deal · file · cabinet · lash · stand · degree · hide · lie

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. degree — an amount
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — to recline
  16. degree — temperature
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stand — to bear
  23. degree — from a university
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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