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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. current — electric
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kid — child
  7. snap — to click
  8. face — to confront
  9. ground — a position
  10. current — happening now
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. net — after costs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. current — of water
  15. kid — to tease
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. branch — a division
  20. face — to point toward
  21. net — for catching
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. net — in sport
  24. ground — crushed

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