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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 · file · fall · bore · race · suit · pit · bat

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fall — the season
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. file — a document
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. suit — to fit
  11. race — the arms race
  12. suit — in cards
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pit — in a race
  18. file — a line of people
  19. race — a contest
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pit — a hole
  22. race — humankind
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bore — to drill

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