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

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. swing — in golf
  4. net — after costs
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. swing — to play on
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. swing — music
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. current — of water
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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