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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. drill — the tool
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. squash — the sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. band — a ring
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. vault — a safe
  9. current — electric
  10. drill — army training
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. clip — to cut
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. squash — to crush
  16. clip — for paper
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. clip — a video
  20. band — a music group
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. drill — a practice
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. band — a rubber band

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