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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. snap — to click
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. current — happening now
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. current — electric
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. object — a thing
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — of water
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. object — an aim
  23. saw — the tool
  24. safe — out of danger

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