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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cap — a hat
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cap — of ice
  11. foot — a measure
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cap — a lid
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a document
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. file — a tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a line of people
  24. arm — part of the body

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