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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — a committee
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. kid — child
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wake — a trail

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