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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. current — happening now
  8. last — finally
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. last — final
  12. cue — a signal
  13. track — a path
  14. current — electric
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. last — to go on
  18. file — a document
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cue — a hint
  23. current — of water
  24. stem — of a plant

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