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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. tube — a container
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. current — of water
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. clip — for paper
  10. current — electric
  11. clip — to cut
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. clip — a video
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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