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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 · date · racket · stick · cold · spell · file · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. file — a line of people
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. last — final
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spell — letters
  11. file — a tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spell — magic
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. last — finally
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. file — a document
  18. date — the fruit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cold — an illness
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cold — not warm

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