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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.

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: file · swing · cold · pitcher · coach · hide · face · fan

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. face — to confront
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. swing — music
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — in golf
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. face — to point toward
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. file — a tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. face — part of the head

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