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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bound — tied together
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rash — hasty
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rash — a series
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — the tool
  11. scale — in music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cap — a hat
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. face — to confront
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — certain
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pitcher — a jug

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