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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — of water
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. file — a document
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. file — a line of people
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fall — the season

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