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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. snap — to click
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. row — a line
  6. current — happening now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. current — of water
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — clever
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. current — electric
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pitch — completely

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