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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. key — in music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cabinet — ministers

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