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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. last — final
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. fall — to drop
  14. file — a tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ball — a dance
  17. tube — a container
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fall — the season
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fall — to drop
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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