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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. deal — to handle
  7. board — a committee
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. board — to get on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. toast — bread
  16. hand — help
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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