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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. staff — employees
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. current — happening now
  14. staff — employees
  15. current — electric
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bat — for baseball

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