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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. bass — low music
  3. stock — goods
  4. face — to confront
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — shares
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. lean — to bend
  13. can — a tin
  14. kick — in football
  15. lean — thin
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — to point toward
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. can — to be able to
  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