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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. scale — in music
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. foot — a measure
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bound — certain
  18. march — music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. foot — the bottom

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