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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. roll — a cake
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. kick — in football
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. current — of water
  18. scale — size or range
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. roll — a list
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stand — to bear
  24. scale — in music

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