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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rock — music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chair — a leader
  13. current — electric
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. current — happening now
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ball — a great time
  18. current — of water
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. straw — dry grass

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