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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.

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: present · hide · file · straw · chair · lie · bat · rush

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. file — a document
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. file — a line of people
  7. present — a gift
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a leader
  13. present — the time now
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. present — there
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rush — hurry
  24. file — a 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