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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · scale · squash · cabinet · bear · toast · chest · fall

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bear — the animal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. scale — size or range
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fall — the season
  8. chest — a box
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. scale — in music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chest — of your body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. toast — bread
  22. bear — the animal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bear — to put up with

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