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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. content — happy
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spell — magic
  7. prune — to trim
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — in sport
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. spell — letters
  12. prune — to trim
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lean — thin
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. net — after costs
  20. scale — size or range
  21. net — for catching
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. spell — a short time
  24. content — the amount

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