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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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 — ministers
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cap — a hat
  4. plane — a tool
  5. current — electric
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mine — for digging
  8. current — happening now
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. season — in sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. scale — in music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. season — of the year
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. current — of water
  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