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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · kid · land · mate · lean · suit · toast · current

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. toast — bread
  3. mate — a friend
  4. land — a country
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. current — happening now
  8. kid — child
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lean — to bend
  14. current — electric
  15. land — ground
  16. mate — a partner
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. mate — to breed
  19. suit — in cards
  20. current — of water
  21. suit — to fit
  22. land — to come down
  23. lean — thin
  24. kid — to tease

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