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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chest — a box
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. foot — a measure
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. drill — army training

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