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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. current — electric
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. current — of water
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wax — to grow
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. clip — a video
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. roll — a cake
  19. current — happening now
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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