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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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. arm — part of the body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chip — for betting
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. scale — in music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. chest — a box
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bark — to shout
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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