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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. root — the cause
  7. drill — army training
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. face — part of the head
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. drill — a practice
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. file — a document
  21. root — of a word
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. face — to point toward

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