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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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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: temple · cell · clip · file · firm · wake · hide · cue

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. firm — a company
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. file — a document
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cue — a hint
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. firm — steady
  16. file — a tool
  17. clip — a video
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. firm — decided
  20. wake — a trail
  21. clip — for paper
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cue — a signal

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