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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bass — low music
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cue — for pool
  13. scale — in music
  14. row — a line
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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