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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a document
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rest — a break
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — in sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — after costs
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rest — what's left
  20. net — for catching
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bound — certain
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rest — what's left

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