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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ground — the earth
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kick — in football
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — in music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stock — shares
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — a position
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stock — goods
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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