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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. net — in sport
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tear — to rip
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. net — after costs
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. scale — in music
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hand — help

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