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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. club — a group
  4. season — in sport
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. club — for dancing
  8. spell — letters
  9. club — for golf
  10. fine — high quality
  11. season — of the year
  12. fine — all right
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spell — magic
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. spell — a short time
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. arm — part of the body

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