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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. track — a path
  3. file — a document
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a song
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — a series
  10. file — a tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. capital — a city
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fine — high quality
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. capital — money
  24. rash — hasty

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