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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. file — a tool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ground — the earth
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hand — help
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ground — a position
  20. file — a line of people
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. file — a document

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