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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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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 · ground · stand · lie · tear · pit · file · cue

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. ground — the earth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. file — a document
  8. pit — a hole
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. file — a tool
  13. pit — in a race
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cue — a hint
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cabinet — ministers

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