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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: saw · file · game · current · racket · fall · hide · can

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. game — a match
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fall — the season
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. current — of water
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fall — to drop
  11. current — electric
  12. game — wild animals
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — happening now
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. can — a tin
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. file — a document
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a line of people

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