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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. current — happening now
  5. cold — not warm
  6. content — the amount
  7. current — of water
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. press — to push
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. board — to get on
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. press — newspapers
  17. board — a committee
  18. current — electric
  19. cold — an illness
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. content — happy
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. press — a publisher
  24. ruler — for measuring

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