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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: cap · cabinet · tube · file · cell · field · racket · fan

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a tool
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cell — in biology
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — farmland
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fan — to cool the air

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