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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. root — of a word
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bat — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. file — a document
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. root — of a plant
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. file — a tool
  20. root — the cause
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bat — for baseball

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