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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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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: toast · kid · file · rash · cap · fork · hide · rush

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. kid — to tease
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kid — child
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rash — a series
  10. cap — a hat
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. toast — bread
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. file — a tool
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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