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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mate — a partner
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mate — a friend
  9. face — to confront
  10. mug — a face
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. scale — in music
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mug — a cup
  24. face — to point toward

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