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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
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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: hide · file · season · staff · face · bear · content · hand

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — employees
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. file — a document
  7. bear — the animal
  8. season — in sport
  9. file — a line of people
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. file — a tool
  13. face — to confront
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. staff — a stick
  20. content — the amount
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. content — happy
  24. season — of the year

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