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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. root — the cause
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. clip — for paper
  10. capital — money
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. root — of a word
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. clip — a video
  19. root — of a plant
  20. capital — a city
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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