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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pass — a permit
  4. scale — in music
  5. current — happening now
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rock — music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. shower — to wash
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. shower — rain
  19. current — electric
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. scale — size or range
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rock — a stone

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