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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — to breed
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — of ice
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. branch — a division
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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