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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — clever
  6. current — of water
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. chip — for betting
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wound — an injury
  22. squash — the sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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