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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — a thing
  4. snap — to click
  5. row — a line
  6. current — electric
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. charge — in control
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. current — of water
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pass — a permit
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. current — happening now
  23. charge — a price
  24. row — to paddle

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