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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. file — a tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rock — music
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ball — a dance
  21. file — a document
  22. cell — a phone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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