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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. current — of water
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. current — electric
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rule — a law
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rule — government
  19. current — happening now
  20. face — to confront
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. leaves — of a tree

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