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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — a practice
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. degree — from a university
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. degree — an amount
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. plane — a tool
  13. current — of water
  14. charge — in control
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. charge — a price
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. saw — the tool
  22. charge — electricity
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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