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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rest — a break
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. row — a line
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mine — for digging

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