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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chest — of your body
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. firm — steady
  5. craft — boats
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chest — a box
  9. season — in sport
  10. firm — a company
  11. saw — the tool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. band — a music group
  15. saw — the tool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. craft — a skill
  18. season — of the year
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. band — a ring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. firm — decided
  24. craft — a handicraft

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