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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — rain
  3. staff — employees
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. current — happening now
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. fall — the season
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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