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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. shower — rain
  3. spell — letters
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. current — happening now
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spell — a short time
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. shower — to wash
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. drill — the tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. current — electric
  20. spell — magic
  21. staff — employees
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. current — of water

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