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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — decided
  3. sharp — clever
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bound — tied together
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bound — certain
  9. kid — child
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. field — for sport
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. firm — steady
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. firm — a company
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. field — a subject

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