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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — to protest
  3. mate — to breed
  4. current — of water
  5. object — a thing
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. chest — of your body
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a friend
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stock — shares
  19. mate — a partner
  20. prune — to trim
  21. object — an aim
  22. chest — a box
  23. stock — goods
  24. snap — to click

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