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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: mate · rash · straw · cap · mug · jam · fan · saw

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mug — to rob
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rash — a series
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mug — a face
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mate — to breed
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — a friend
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — a tight spot

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