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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 116 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 · cold · wound · hide · suit · lie · coach · present

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. present — a gift
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. present — there
  12. suit — in cards
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cold — not warm
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. present — the time now
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cold — an illness
  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