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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. suit — to fit
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rest — what's left
  7. suit — in cards
  8. fall — to drop
  9. scale — size or range
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. file — a document
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tube — a container
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hand — help
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — to drop
  21. suit — clothes
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fall — the season

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