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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. shower — to wash
  6. club — for dancing
  7. clip — for paper
  8. club — a group
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — a video
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. club — for golf
  14. ball — a dance
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ball — a great time
  17. scale — in music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. shower — rain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bound — certain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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