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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 116 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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. ground — the earth
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. capital — money
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. current — of water
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. capital — a city
  9. current — electric
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mug — to rob
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. mug — a cup
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. current — happening now
  17. ground — a position
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. snap — to click
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mug — a face
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. capital — a big letter

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