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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cell — a phone
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chip — to eat
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cell — in biology
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. scale — in music
  23. squash — the sport
  24. foot — part of the body

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