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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rock — a stone
  3. land — to come down
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bound — certain
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bound — tied together
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rock — music
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — a measure
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. land — a country
  24. bound — obliged

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