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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. lean — thin
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. current — electric
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. fork — in a road
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lean — to bend
  14. toast — bread
  15. current — of water
  16. charge — a price
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. charge — in control

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