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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. land — a country
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. land — ground
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — all right
  8. race — humankind
  9. land — to come down
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. race — a contest
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fine — high quality
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bat — the animal

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