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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. object — a thing
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. object — to protest
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. current — of water
  15. content — the amount
  16. dip — to sink
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. object — an aim
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. sharp — clever

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