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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chip — for betting
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. swing — to play on
  8. chip — to eat
  9. face — to confront
  10. wind — moving air
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. swing — in golf
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — the season
  23. swing — music
  24. bowl — a football final

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