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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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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 · hide · cell · last · object · rash · toast · wind

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. last — final
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rash — hasty
  5. last — finally
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. object — to protest
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a document
  14. object — an aim
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. last — to go on
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wind — moving air
  19. object — a thing
  20. toast — bread
  21. file — a tool
  22. rash — a series
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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