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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cap — a lid
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cap — of ice
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cap — a hat
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. board — a committee
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — army training
  15. squash — the sport
  16. drill — the tool
  17. board — to get on
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. squash — to crush
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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