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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: file · deal · capital · mouse · hide · face · shower · bass

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. face — to confront
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. face — part of the head
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. capital — a city
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — low music
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. file — a document
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. shower — to wash
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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