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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. can — a tin
  5. net — after costs
  6. current — happening now
  7. toast — bread
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. can — a tin
  11. shower — rain
  12. can — to be able to
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. current — electric
  15. shower — to wash
  16. net — in sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. net — for catching
  19. pop — soda
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. current — of water
  24. mug — to rob

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