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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pop — music
  5. current — electric
  6. club — for dancing
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pop — soda
  10. current — happening now
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. club — for golf
  15. current — of water
  16. bark — to shout
  17. club — a group
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. snap — to click
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pop — to visit

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