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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: bat · straw · pitcher · deal · wake · fan · rest · current

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. current — electric
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — happening now
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. current — of water
  24. fan — a supporter

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