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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. march — music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. staff — employees
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. march — the month
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lie — to recline
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — employees
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fork — in a road
  17. staff — a stick
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. game — a match
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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