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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. content — happy
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pit — in a race
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. net — for catching
  12. lean — thin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pit — a hole
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — after costs
  18. scale — in music
  19. net — in sport
  20. lean — to bend
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. coach — a trainer

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