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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. drill — a practice
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mug — a cup
  10. drill — army training
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fine — high quality
  20. face — to confront
  21. current — happening now
  22. stand — to bear
  23. current — electric
  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