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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rest — a break
  24. pit — a hole

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