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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. squash — the sport
  5. snap — to click
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — army training
  10. mark — a grade
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bat — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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