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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cue — a hint
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. object — a thing
  9. last — finally
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stand — to bear
  12. file — a document
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. file — a tool
  16. last — final
  17. object — an aim
  18. cue — a signal
  19. last — to go on
  20. rash — a series
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. object — to protest
  24. stand — on your feet

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