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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. chip — to eat
  4. present — the time now
  5. current — of water
  6. fall — to drop
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — for betting
  10. date — the fruit
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — there
  16. fall — the season
  17. current — electric
  18. roll — a cake
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — a list
  21. present — a gift
  22. current — happening now
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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