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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. scale — size or range
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kid — to tease
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitch — completely
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kid — child
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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