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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mug — a cup
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. present — there
  7. cell — a phone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. present — the time now
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mug — a face
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. branch — a division
  23. present — a gift
  24. date — the fruit

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