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

Word bank: cabinet · rest · wave · file · content · ground · cell · stick

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ground — crushed
  4. content — happy
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. file — a tool
  21. ground — a position
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a document
  24. rest — a break

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