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

Word bank: snap · stick · fine · ground · cabinet · straw · fork · date

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. snap — to click
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ground — crushed
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fine — all right
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — a position
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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