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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. current — electric
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. current — of water
  6. net — for catching
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. deal — to handle
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. current — happening now
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bat — the animal
  23. net — after costs
  24. straw — dry grass

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