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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — for betting
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chip — to eat
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bass — low music
  14. current — happening now
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. current — of water
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bass — the fish
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. kid — child
  24. safe — out of danger

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