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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. current — electric
  4. club — for golf
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. net — in sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a document
  11. club — a group
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — happening now
  14. file — a tool
  15. net — after costs
  16. club — for dancing
  17. current — of water
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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