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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. plane — a tool
  4. current — of water
  5. snap — to click
  6. current — electric
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. lean — to bend
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. game — wild animals
  13. band — a music group
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. current — happening now
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. band — a ring
  24. net — after costs

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