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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. race — humankind
  3. fall — to drop
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. current — electric
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mark — a grade
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. spring — of water
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. snap — to click
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. race — a contest
  19. rock — music
  20. fall — the season
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. current — happening now
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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