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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. file — a document
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rock — music
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. file — a tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — size or range
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. file — a line of people
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rock — a stone
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — in 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