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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chest · current · spell · mouse · date · fall · straw · cabinet

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fall — to drop
  10. current — electric
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spell — magic
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. date — the fruit
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. spell — letters
  19. chest — a box
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — happening now
  23. fall — the season
  24. mouse — the animal

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