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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. current — happening now
  3. staff — employees
  4. object — to protest
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. row — a line
  7. current — of water
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a dance
  10. object — a thing
  11. drill — the tool
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. drill — a practice
  14. staff — a stick
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ball — a great time
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. drill — army training
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. row — to paddle
  21. current — electric
  22. staff — employees
  23. perch — the fish
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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