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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pass — a permit
  3. current — electric
  4. mark — a trace
  5. court — of a king
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. current — happening now
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mark — a grade
  10. current — of water
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. court — of law
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rash — a series
  21. cell — in biology
  22. court — for sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rash — hasty

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