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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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 — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. toast — bread
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — a line
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bulb — for light
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. row — to paddle

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