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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fine — all right
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chest — a box
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. band — a ring
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ground — a position
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spell — magic
  20. chest — of your body
  21. band — a music group
  22. rest — a break
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — a short time

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