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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 120 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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. calf — a young animal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. land — a country
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — ground
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rule — government
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lie — to recline
  23. file — a tool
  24. land — to come down

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