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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — electric
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. kick — in football
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rash — a series
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cue — a signal
  16. current — happening now
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. current — of water
  19. present — the time now
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rash — hasty
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cue — a hint

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