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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: foot · cold · scale · pass · craft · straw · current · cell

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. current — happening now
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cold — an illness
  9. craft — a skill
  10. current — electric
  11. scale — in music
  12. craft — boats
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cell — a phone
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — size or range
  19. current — of water
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. foot — a measure
  24. straw — a straw man

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