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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a partner
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mate — a friend
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mate — to breed
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. game — a match
  12. board — to get on
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. dip — to dunk

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