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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. shower — rain
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. current — of water
  9. charge — a price
  10. can — to be able to
  11. current — electric
  12. shower — to wash
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — low music
  15. staff — employees
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. charge — in control
  21. current — happening now
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. can — a tin

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