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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mark — a trace
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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