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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. current — electric
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. swing — to play on
  7. fine — all right
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — of water
  10. plane — a tool
  11. swing — music
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — happening now
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cold — an illness
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mouse — the animal

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