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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. hand — in cards
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hand — help
  7. stand — to bear
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — all right
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fine — high quality
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — money
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. leaves — to go away

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