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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — the fish
  4. current — happening now
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — electric
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rule — government
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rule — a law
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. shower — to wash
  20. current — of water
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — rain

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