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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — final
  11. spring — of water
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. spring — a coil

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