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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stand — to bear
  5. present — a gift
  6. file — a document
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. present — there
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. present — the time now
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — an injury

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