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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. current — happening now
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rock — music
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. clip — to cut
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tube — a container
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. clip — a video
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. current — of water
  18. bass — the fish
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — a stone
  22. clip — for paper
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. current — electric

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