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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. file — a document
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — the season
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ground — a position
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ground — the earth
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wind — moving air
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a tool

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