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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. roll — a list
  3. scale — size or range
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bore — to drill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bore — to tire
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. toast — bread
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. saw — the tool
  24. scale — in music

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