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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — to breed
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mate — a partner
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. file — a tool
  14. roll — a cake
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. prune — to trim
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. roll — a list
  20. pit — in a race
  21. file — a line of people
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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