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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chest — a box
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. file — a tool
  6. spell — letters
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. chest — of your body
  12. file — a document
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. spell — a short time
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spell — magic
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cabinet — ministers

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