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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bound — certain
  3. current — electric
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. court — for sport
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. current — happening now
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. snap — to click
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. scale — in music
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. kick — in football
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bound — tied together
  20. scale — size or range
  21. current — of water
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pit — a hole
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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