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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. current — electric
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. current — of water
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. craft — boats
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bore — to drill
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. chest — a box
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. craft — a skill
  20. current — happening now
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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