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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: mark · wound · kid · date · suit · cabinet · roll · file

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. file — a tool
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. suit — clothes
  12. file — a document
  13. wound — an injury
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wound — an injury
  18. suit — to fit
  19. mark — a grade
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. date — the fruit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. roll — a cake
  24. kid — child

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