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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. swing — to play on
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. scale — in music
  11. kick — in football
  12. bulb — for light
  13. scale — size or range
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. swing — in golf
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mug — a face
  24. cabinet — ministers

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