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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: chest · hide · file · march · pitcher · leaves · bay · pass

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. file — a tool
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. file — a line of people
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chest — of your body
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. file — a document
  16. chest — of your body
  17. march — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. chest — a box
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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