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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 116 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: cold · file · fall · bat · object · cabinet · bear · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. present — there
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. object — an aim
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. file — a tool
  10. fall — the season
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cold — not warm
  14. object — to protest
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. object — a thing
  20. cold — an illness
  21. file — a document
  22. fall — to drop
  23. present — the time now
  24. bear — to put up with

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