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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. staff — employees
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. staff — a stick
  5. current — of water
  6. tube — the underground
  7. key — the most important part
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. key — for a lock
  11. tube — a container
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. current — electric
  21. key — in music
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. current — happening now
  24. staff — employees

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