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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.

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

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. scale — in music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — from a university
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pop — soda
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pop — music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. degree — temperature
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. deal — to handle
  21. degree — an amount
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. plane — a tool

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