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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. scale — in music
  6. roll — a cake
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bear — the animal
  11. staff — a stick
  12. can — a tin
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bear — the animal
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. staff — employees
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. scale — size or range
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. can — a tin
  23. dip — to sink
  24. roll — a list

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