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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tube — the underground
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mark — a trace
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. object — an aim
  8. file — a document
  9. object — to protest
  10. kick — in football
  11. tube — a container
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mark — a grade
  22. tear — from crying
  23. object — a thing
  24. file — a tool

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