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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · object · cabinet · ball · arm · bat · fan · file

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. object — to protest
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a tool
  17. object — a thing
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bat — the animal
  20. object — an aim
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cabinet — ministers

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