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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cap — a hat
  6. file — a tool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. date — the fruit
  10. scale — in music
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cap — a lid
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cap — of ice
  20. file — a document
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lean — thin
  24. scale — size or range

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