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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. drill — the tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — army training
  6. face — part of the head
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. current — of water
  9. content — the amount
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mine — for digging
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — happening now
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — happy
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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