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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rock — music
  6. band — a ring
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. band — a music group
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mate — a friend
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. current — electric
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mate — a partner

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