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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. hand — help
  3. file — a tool
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. last — final
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — finally
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. hand — in cards
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a document
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bound — tied together
  16. last — to go on
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cap — a lid
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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