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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. fork — in a road
  3. squash — the sport
  4. land — ground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — a leader
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. saw — the tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. squash — to crush
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. land — to come down
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. land — a country
  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