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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. current — happening now
  3. content — the amount
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rule — a law
  9. degree — an amount
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. degree — temperature
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. degree — from a university
  14. content — happy
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. coach — a trainer

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