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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. ground — the earth
  10. net — for catching
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wax — to grow
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. scale — in music
  16. ground — a position
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. scale — size or range
  20. net — after costs
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — in sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. straw — dry grass

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