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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spell — a short time
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. current — of water
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — thin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — the month
  11. current — electric
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — letters
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. march — music
  17. chip — to eat
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spell — magic
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chip — for betting
  24. perch — the fish

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