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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: arm · current · lie · chest · straw · nail · degree · content

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. content — happy
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. current — happening now
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lie — to recline
  17. degree — from a university
  18. current — electric
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — the amount
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. degree — temperature
  24. current — of water

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