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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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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. content — happy
  6. bank — for money
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. content — the amount
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a document
  11. drill — the tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bass — low music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — the fish
  20. drill — army training
  21. file — a tool
  22. bank — for money
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bank — of a river

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