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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — a grade
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. face — part of the head
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. face — to point toward
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — to confront
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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