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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bound — certain
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. root — of a word
  14. present — a gift
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. snap — to click
  17. root — the cause
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. root — of a plant
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. present — the time now
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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