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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. file — a document
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. season — in sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. net — for catching
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mark — a grade
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bass — the fish
  15. season — of the year
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mark — a trace
  18. kid — child
  19. net — in sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bass — low music

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