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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: bay · lean · kid · saw · race · land · scale · cabinet

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. kid — child
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. land — a country
  7. lean — to bend
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lean — thin
  10. race — a contest
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. land — ground
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. scale — in music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. race — humankind
  22. land — to come down
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kid — to tease

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