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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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468
Word bank
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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. snap — to click
  3. current — of water
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. current — electric
  13. fork — in a road
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. kid — child
  19. current — happening now
  20. kid — to tease
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pit — a hole
  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