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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chest — of your body
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. charge — a price
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wake — a trail
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. scale — in music
  19. charge — in control
  20. chest — a box
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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