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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: snap · current · drill · bear · bat · straw · key · rest

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. key — in music
  2. current — happening now
  3. drill — a practice
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. key — for a lock
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. current — of water
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bat — the animal
  13. current — electric
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rest — a break
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bear — the animal
  18. key — the most important part
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rest — what's left
  21. snap — to click
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bat — for baseball
  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