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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. can — a tin
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. file — a tool
  12. pop — soda
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pop — music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. file — a document
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wind — moving air
  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