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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — of water
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. staff — a stick
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. current — happening now
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — a lid
  13. lie — to recline
  14. staff — employees
  15. cap — a hat
  16. current — electric
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mug — a cup
  22. staff — employees
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cap — of ice

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