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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. can — a tin
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cold — not warm
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cold — an illness
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. can — to be able to
  18. current — electric
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. saw — the tool
  22. current — of water
  23. can — a tin
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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