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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hand — help
  8. plane — a tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. land — ground
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. land — a country
  16. scale — in music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cap — of ice
  20. land — to come down
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hand — in cards

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