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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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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. current — electric
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. current — happening now
  7. cue — a signal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cue — for pool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. current — of water
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cue — a hint
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. chair — a leader
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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