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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 120 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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. race — humankind
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mine — for digging
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. scale — size or range
  13. race — a contest
  14. scale — in music
  15. charge — in control
  16. land — ground
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. land — to come down
  19. season — in sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. charge — a price
  22. race — the arms race
  23. land — a country
  24. mine — belonging to me

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