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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.

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: scale · land · racket · leaves · bat · cabinet · wind · calf

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — ground
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bat — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. land — a country
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. land — to come down
  20. scale — in music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — moving air

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