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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — a video
  6. last — finally
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. last — to go on
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. charge — a price
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stem — to come from
  17. last — final
  18. mark — a grade
  19. tube — a container
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. charge — in control
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stem — of a plant

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