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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mate — to breed
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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