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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: foot · last · band · fine · ground · pop · hide · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pop — music
  3. last — final
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. band — a music group
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ground — a position
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. pop — to visit
  14. last — to go on
  15. pop — soda
  16. file — a tool
  17. ground — crushed
  18. band — a ring
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. last — finally
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. file — a line of people

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