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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: file · cabinet · track · bat · hide · content · kid · deal

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. file — a tool
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. track — a path
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bat — the animal
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. track — to keep track
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. track — a song
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. cabinet — ministers

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