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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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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: cabinet · rash · file · pit · bat · coach · wake · board

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bat — the animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. pit — in a race
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. board — to get on
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. board — a committee
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bat — for baseball

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