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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. hand — in cards
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. hand — help
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ball — a dance
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cell — a phone
  10. toast — bread
  11. cell — in biology
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. branch — a division
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cell — in a prison

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