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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. current — happening now
  6. face — to confront
  7. wound — an injury
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. face — part of the head
  12. craft — a skill
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. current — of water
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. current — electric
  24. cabinet — ministers

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