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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 120 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: rock · squash · ground · pit · wound · bay · file · hide

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pit — a hole
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. file — a document
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rock — music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ground — the earth
  13. file — a tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pit — in a race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. squash — to crush

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