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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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. net — after costs
  4. wax — to grow
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lean — thin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. net — in sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. suit — in cards
  16. net — for catching
  17. suit — to fit
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. suit — clothes
  24. chair — to sit on

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