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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. scale — in music
  14. toast — bread
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. roll — a list
  20. net — in sport
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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