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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. band — a ring
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. squash — to crush
  11. band — a music group
  12. lean — thin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — of water
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lean — to bend
  17. stock — goods
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — happening now

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