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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
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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: firm · kid · object · hand · rush · hide · file · snap

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. firm — steady
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a tool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. snap — to click
  12. firm — decided
  13. object — a thing
  14. hand — help
  15. object — to protest
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. file — a document
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. firm — a company
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — an aim

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