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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — a company
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rest — a break
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rest — what's left
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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