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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. craft — a skill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. craft — boats
  14. pound — a weight
  15. ball — a dance
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. file — a tool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. file — a line of people

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