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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. spell — magic
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. file — a tool
  6. plane — a tool
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. row — to paddle
  14. file — a line of people
  15. row — a line
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. file — a document
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bowl — a football final

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