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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 120 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 · ground · straw · rule · current · ball · bat · object

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. current — happening now
  5. object — to protest
  6. current — electric
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rule — a law
  9. object — an aim
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. object — a thing
  13. current — of water
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ball — a dance
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. straw — dry grass

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