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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — happening now
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. current — electric
  8. file — a line of people
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. scale — in music
  11. face — to point toward
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. face — to confront
  15. file — a document
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cell — a phone
  18. current — of water
  19. face — part of the head
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cell — in biology
  23. file — a tool
  24. cell — in a prison

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