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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · wake · hide · saw · jam · bowl · fine · squash

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. file — a document
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. file — a line of people
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. squash — to crush
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. file — a tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — a trail
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. wake — before a funeral

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