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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. file — a document
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lie — to recline
  9. ground — crushed
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fall — the season
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ground — the earth
  15. club — for golf
  16. ground — a position
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. club — a group
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fall — to drop

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