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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. net — after costs
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. present — the time now
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — in sport
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. degree — temperature
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. degree — from a university
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stock — goods

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