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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tear — to rip
  8. snap — to click
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. ball — a dance
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. ball — a round shape

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