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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: ground · bound · cabinet · deal · racket · mate · wake · straw

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ground — a position
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bound — obliged
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mate — a partner
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. wake — a trail
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. ground — crushed
  22. deal — to handle
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. deal — a big deal

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