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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. field — a subject
  4. ball — a great time
  5. scale — in music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ball — a dance
  11. field — for sport
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chest — a box
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. field — farmland
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rock — music
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rock — to move gently

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