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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · mate · can · straw · march · dip · cabinet · track

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a friend
  4. track — a path
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. can — to be able to
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. track — a song
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. can — a tin
  12. mate — to breed
  13. march — music
  14. dip — to sink
  15. march — the month
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — to keep track
  22. march — the month
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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