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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. land — ground
  6. march — music
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. current — electric
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — in biology
  12. lie — to recline
  13. march — the month
  14. land — to come down
  15. rest — a break
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cell — a phone
  19. current — happening now
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. land — a country
  24. march — the month

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