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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. hand — help
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bank — for money
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bank — of a river
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. band — a ring
  18. key — for a lock
  19. dip — to sink
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. hand — in cards
  23. dip — to dunk
  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