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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
468
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: bear · game · content · season · file · hide · roll · fall

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. roll — a list
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. season — of the year
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. season — in sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. file — a document
  18. content — happy
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. content — the amount
  21. game — a match
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. roll — a cake
  24. file — a tool

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