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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. current — electric
  3. rash — a series
  4. fall — the season
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. present — the time now
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. current — happening now
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. current — of water
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. straw — a straw man

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