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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · cabinet · clip · leaves · staff · bat · fine · mug

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bat — the animal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. staff — employees
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. clip — to cut
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. clip — for paper
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — a video
  16. fine — all right
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mug — to rob
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mug — a face

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