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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. tube — a container
  3. bass — the fish
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bass — low music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rock — music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. present — a gift
  15. cell — in biology
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. deal — to handle
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. 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