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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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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — rain
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cell — in biology
  8. drill — the tool
  9. track — a path
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. press — a publisher
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. press — to push
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. foot — a measure
  17. drill — army training
  18. game — wild animals
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. press — newspapers
  21. game — a match
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cell — in a prison

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