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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · last · scale · hide · bay · bat · track · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. last — finally
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. last — final
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. scale — size or range
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. scale — in music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. last — to go on
  22. track — a song
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. hide — animal skin

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