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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. scale — in music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cue — a signal
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mug — a cup
  9. current — electric
  10. mug — a face
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. land — a country
  14. current — happening now
  15. scale — size or range
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cue — for pool
  19. land — to come down
  20. chip — to eat
  21. current — of water
  22. mug — to rob
  23. land — ground
  24. cue — a hint

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