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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. game — a match
  3. snap — to click
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pop — soda
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ball — a dance
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lean — to bend
  15. face — part of the head
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pop — music
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. face — to confront
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. scale — in music
  23. lean — thin
  24. pop — to visit

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