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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: hide · bat · rule · file · track · fork · rush · dip

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. track — a path
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rule — government
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bat — the animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — a law
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. track — a song
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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