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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a great time
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rash — hasty
  6. scale — in music
  7. present — there
  8. bound — tied together
  9. present — a gift
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kick — in football
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bound — certain
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. present — the time now
  24. shower — rain

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