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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. press — a publisher
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. press — to push
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. press — newspapers
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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