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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. last — final
  2. roll — a list
  3. file — a tool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. last — finally
  12. deal — to handle
  13. ball — a great time
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hand — help
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. file — a document
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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