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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — a partner
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. scale — in music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bass — low music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. scale — for weighing

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