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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. current — of water
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fall — the season
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bulb — for light
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. fall — to drop
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. current — happening now
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. net — after costs
  16. tube — a container
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — electric
  19. net — for catching
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. net — in sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tube — the underground

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