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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — music
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — soda
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. scale — in music
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pop — to visit
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. branch — of a bank

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