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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. date — the fruit
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. file — a tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. file — a document
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. row — a line
  24. lash — an eyelash

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