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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. suit — in cards
  3. tear — to rip
  4. firm — decided
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. firm — a company
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. chest — of your body
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chest — a box
  14. tear — from crying
  15. game — a match
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. game — wild animals
  18. firm — steady
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — happening now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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