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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 120 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: racket · cabinet · stick · ground · wound · lie · fine · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fine — all right
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fine — high quality
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. object — a thing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wound — an injury
  23. object — an aim
  24. racket — a loud noise

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