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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. band — a ring
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. net — in sport
  10. shower — rain
  11. band — a music group
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. can — a tin
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. can — a tin

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