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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bound — obliged
  3. march — the month
  4. bound — certain
  5. file — a document
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. current — of water
  13. file — a tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bound — tied together
  18. march — the month
  19. current — electric
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. current — happening now
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cabinet — ministers

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