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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. current — electric
  3. kick — in football
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — of water
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. vault — a safe
  8. current — happening now
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. snap — to click
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bark — to shout
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. kick — a thrill

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