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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cell — in biology
  4. present — a gift
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. lie — to recline
  10. kid — to tease
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. file — a tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. present — there
  23. kid — child
  24. file — a document

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