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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pit — a hole
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chest — of your body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. current — electric
  12. chest — a box
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. land — a country
  16. pit — in a race
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. board — to get on
  20. current — of water
  21. board — a committee
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. land — to come down
  24. racket — a loud noise

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