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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ground — a position
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — in sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ground — crushed
  11. file — a document
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. snap — to click
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. scale — in music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. season — of the year
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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