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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. suit — in cards
  4. current — of water
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — happening now
  7. land — a country
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rash — hasty
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. suit — to fit
  16. land — ground
  17. shower — to wash
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. land — to come down
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wake — a trail
  23. current — electric
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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