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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. current — electric
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. object — to protest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — a thing
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — in sport
  12. current — happening now
  13. object — an aim
  14. net — for catching
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. net — after costs
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. current — of water
  23. fall — the season
  24. safe — out of danger

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