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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pop — to visit
  6. scale — size or range
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. pop — music
  16. land — a country
  17. scale — in music
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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