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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. land — a country
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — to come down
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. cue — a signal
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. can — a tin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. land — ground
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. can — to be able to
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cue — for pool
  21. can — a tin
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cue — a hint

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