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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: saw · mark · staff · race · tear · straw · net · cabinet

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. race — humankind
  4. mark — a trace
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. net — in sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. race — the arms race
  18. tear — to rip
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — for catching
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. race — a contest

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