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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. current — of water
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. land — to come down
  7. current — electric
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ground — the earth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cue — for pool
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ground — crushed
  21. perch — the fish
  22. ground — a position
  23. current — happening now
  24. pit — in a race

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