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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chip — to eat
  3. craft — boats
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. craft — a skill
  8. present — there
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chip — for betting
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. current — electric
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. current — happening now
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bat — the animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. present — the time now
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. current — of water

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