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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. scale — in music
  3. fine — high quality
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. root — the cause
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bat — the animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. squash — to crush
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. squash — the sport

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