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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: cabinet · foot · file · lie · chair · tube · hide · date

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. lie — to recline
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. foot — a measure
  9. tube — a container
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chair — a leader
  13. file — a document
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. date — the fruit
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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