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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — the arms race
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. game — a match
  9. race — a contest
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. net — in sport
  15. race — humankind
  16. net — after costs
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — for catching
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. scale — in music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. scale — size or range

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