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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 120 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: saw · bass · foot · board · cue · cabinet · field · scale

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cue — a hint
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. field — for sport
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. foot — a measure
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bass — low music
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. scale — in music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — farmland
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a committee
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — size or range

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