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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. last — final
  5. scale — in music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rock — music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — to go on
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rock — a stone
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. club — for golf
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. club — a group
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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