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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. file — a tool
  5. object — to protest
  6. snap — to click
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. file — a line of people
  10. band — a ring
  11. march — the month
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a music group
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. object — a thing
  20. file — a document
  21. object — an aim
  22. stand — to bear
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. march — music

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