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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a document
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. row — a line
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. date — the fruit
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. file — a line of people
  20. saw — the tool
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. file — a tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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