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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. court — for sport
  4. current — electric
  5. stand — to bear
  6. last — final
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. spring — the season
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — of a king
  11. hand — in cards
  12. court — of law
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. can — to be able to
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hand — help
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. current — happening now
  21. last — finally
  22. spring — of water
  23. snap — to click
  24. last — to go on

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