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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — high quality
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. file — a document
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. snap — to click
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. file — a line of people
  13. drill — army training
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. drill — a practice
  16. file — a tool
  17. toast — bread
  18. chest — a box
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fine — all right

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