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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tube — the underground
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. scale — size or range
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. tube — a container
  15. can — a tin
  16. scale — in music
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. squash — to crush
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — clever
  23. squash — the sport
  24. can — a tin

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