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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. pop — soda
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pop — to visit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. current — electric
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pop — music
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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