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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 124 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. tube — a container
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tube — the underground
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — for digging
  18. current — of water
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. current — electric
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. current — happening now

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