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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — a face
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — to crush
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. net — for catching
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mug — to rob
  16. net — after costs
  17. march — music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. net — in sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. march — the month
  24. racket — a loud noise

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