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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. can — a tin
  8. roll — a cake
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — in sport
  11. capital — money
  12. season — of the year
  13. fall — to drop
  14. capital — a city
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fall — to drop
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fall — the season
  22. net — for catching
  23. roll — a list
  24. net — after costs

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