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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. snap — to click
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. current — electric
  12. cap — a lid
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. current — of water
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cap — of ice
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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