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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. deal — to handle
  5. file — a document
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bass — low music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bass — the instrument

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