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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bound — tied together
  3. current — electric
  4. row — to paddle
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bound — certain
  7. current — happening now
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. current — of water
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. face — to confront
  16. drill — army training
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. roll — a cake
  20. face — part of the head
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bark — to shout
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. face — to point toward

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