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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. rest — what's left
  3. file — a document
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. hand — help
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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