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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. current — electric
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — a friend
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spell — magic
  11. field — a subject
  12. dip — to sink
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spell — letters
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. snap — to click
  19. mug — to rob
  20. ball — a great time
  21. field — farmland
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. field — for sport

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