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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 · band · firm · chair · pitcher · cell · file · cap

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. file — a tool
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a document
  7. firm — decided
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a music group
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a line of people
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. firm — steady
  23. band — a ring
  24. cap — a hat

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