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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: rock · toast · lean · game · saw · cabinet · hand · cap

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rock — a stone
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hand — in cards
  8. saw — the tool
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cap — a hat
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lean — to bend
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rock — music
  16. game — a match
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. toast — bread
  24. rock — to move gently

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