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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: ball · mate · wave · cap · cabinet · file · chest · row

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — of ice
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ball — a dance
  13. row — a line
  14. file — a tool
  15. cap — a hat
  16. file — a line of people
  17. chest — of your body
  18. file — a document
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chest — a box
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. mate — a partner
  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