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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. drill — the tool
  3. file — a tool
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. band — a ring
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. drill — army training
  19. chip — to eat
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. band — a music group
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. file — a document

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