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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. court — of a king
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cap — of ice
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rush — hurry
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. straw — a straw man

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