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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spell — magic
  4. rock — a stone
  5. spell — letters
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. squash — the sport
  10. field — for sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rock — music
  19. scale — in music
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wind — to turn a key

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