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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. 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 — ministers
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cap — a hat
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. spring — of water
  19. foot — a measure
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. toast — bread
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. 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