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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. current — of water
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rash — a series
  14. scale — in music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. current — happening now
  17. spell — magic
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. current — electric
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fan — to cool the air

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