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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: roll · file · bark · foot · mate · cabinet · nail · game

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. file — a document
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mate — a partner
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. roll — a list
  18. file — a tool
  19. game — a match
  20. roll — a cake
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mate — to breed

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