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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. face — to point toward
  3. court — of law
  4. current — electric
  5. drill — the tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — to cut
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. drill — a practice
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. clip — for paper
  16. current — happening now
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. court — of a king
  19. face — part of the head
  20. fine — all right
  21. current — of water
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. clip — a video
  24. face — to confront

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