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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · fine · current · straw · trunk · cell · toast · sharp

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. current — electric
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. current — of water
  14. bat — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. toast — bread
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. current — happening now
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fine — all right

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