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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: season · file · rash · ground · hide · cue · track · shower

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. season — in sport
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rash — a series
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. file — a tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. file — a document
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — to wash
  14. file — a line of people
  15. shower — rain
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. season — of the year
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. hide — animal skin

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