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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: cap · ground · last · cabinet · scale · straw · file · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ground — a position
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cap — of ice
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. file — a document
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. board — to get on
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ground — the earth
  17. last — final
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cap — a hat
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. board — a flat piece

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