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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — an illness
  15. toast — bread
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — not warm
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. toast — the most admired

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