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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. current — electric
  3. snap — to click
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rest — a break
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ball — a dance
  9. root — the cause
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. current — of water
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. root — of a word
  16. current — happening now
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ball — a great time
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wound — an injury
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. root — of a plant
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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