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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rash — hasty
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. club — a group
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rash — a series
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. race — a contest
  21. club — for golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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