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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. spring — of water
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. scale — in music
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. land — ground
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. pit — in a race
  18. scale — size or range
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. spring — the season
  23. pit — a hole
  24. spring — a coil

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