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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.

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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 · cabinet · straw · mug · fan · bound · net · file

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. file — a tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. file — a line of people
  5. net — for catching
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. net — in sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mug — to rob
  12. net — after costs
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mate — to breed
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. file — a document
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mug — a face
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fan — a supporter

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