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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 116 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. hand — in cards
  5. present — a gift
  6. craft — a skill
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. craft — boats
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. land — to come down
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. present — the time now
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hand — help
  24. present — there

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