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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. drill — a practice
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — to drop
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. scale — in music
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fall — the season
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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