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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. present — a gift
  3. swing — to play on
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — in golf
  12. present — there
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. swing — music
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. present — the time now
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. fork — in a road
  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