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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. net — after costs
  3. rock — a stone
  4. dip — to sink
  5. net — in sport
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mate — a partner
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. net — for catching
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. game — a match
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rock — music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mate — a friend
  24. dip — a sauce

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