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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.

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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 · pit · prune · swing · kid · drill · fall · hide

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. drill — a practice
  4. swing — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kid — child
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. drill — the tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. file — a tool
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pit — in a race
  16. swing — in golf
  17. file — a document
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pit — a hole
  20. drill — army training
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. kid — to tease
  24. swing — to play on

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