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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. prune — to trim
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. club — for golf
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. club — a group
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. club — for dancing
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. net — in sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. drill — army training
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cabinet — ministers

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