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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. field — a subject
  8. scale — size or range
  9. tube — the underground
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — farmland
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. scale — in music
  18. tube — a container
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. field — for sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. scale — for weighing

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