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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. plane — a tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. drill — the tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cold — not warm
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stand — to bear
  14. drill — a practice
  15. current — happening now
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. current — electric
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — of water
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. plane — an aircraft

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