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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. scale — in music
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mate — a partner
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spring — a coil
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. land — to come down
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spring — the season
  17. land — a country
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. land — ground
  21. spring — of water
  22. chair — a leader
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. nail — on a finger

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