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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 124 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chest — of your body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — all right
  17. drill — army training
  18. file — a line of people
  19. drill — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. file — a document
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bound — certain

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