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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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. squash — the vegetable
  4. present — a gift
  5. vault — a safe
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. squash — the sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. present — the time now
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. can — to be able to
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — there
  22. scale — in music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. leaves — of a tree

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