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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. land — a country
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. object — a thing
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. object — an aim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. current — happening now
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. object — to protest
  15. land — ground
  16. lie — to recline
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. drill — the tool
  19. land — to come down
  20. current — electric
  21. cue — for pool
  22. current — of water
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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