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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rest — a break
  5. club — for dancing
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. date — the fruit
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a cake
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. club — a group
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. roll — a list
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. current — of water
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. club — for golf
  22. kid — to tease
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. current — electric

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