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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pit — a hole
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pit — in a race
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bank — for money
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. content — happy
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pitch — completely
  22. content — the amount
  23. bank — of a river
  24. lash — to lash out

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