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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 120 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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. capital — money
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fall — the season
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. capital — a city

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