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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. roll — a cake
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. file — a line of people
  6. roll — a list
  7. court — of law
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — for sport
  19. file — a document
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. file — a tool
  22. court — of a king
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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