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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stock — shares
  5. current — electric
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stock — goods
  9. current — happening now
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. scale — in music
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mate — a friend
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. current — of water

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