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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. net — for catching
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mark — a grade
  13. file — a tool
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mark — a trace
  17. march — the month
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — in sport
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. net — after costs
  24. file — a document

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