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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. can — a tin
  5. file — a tool
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. club — for golf
  10. can — a tin
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for dancing
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fall — the season
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. club — a group
  24. cabinet — ministers

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