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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stand — to bear
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mate — to breed
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rule — government
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bulb — of a plant

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