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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. board — to get on
  3. club — for golf
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chest — a box
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. board — a committee
  11. current — happening now
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. current — of water
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hand — help
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — in cards
  21. club — a group
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lash — to lash out

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