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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. lean — to bend
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bound — obliged
  8. row — a line
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bound — tied together
  13. lean — thin
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. season — in sport
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — of the year
  22. bound — certain
  23. perch — the fish
  24. arm — a part of something

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