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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. swing — in golf
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bank — for money
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. swing — music
  15. scale — in music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wound — an injury

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