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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. dip — to sink
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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