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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pop — music
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. net — in sport
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — after costs
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pop — soda
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. net — for catching

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