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

Word bank: cabinet · toast · mouse · kid · foot · snap · drill · mate

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. toast — bread
  11. kid — child
  12. drill — the tool
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mate — a friend
  15. foot — a measure
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. snap — to click
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — army training
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. foot — the bottom
  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