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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. kick — in football
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. current — of water
  7. bound — tied together
  8. current — electric
  9. snap — to click
  10. current — happening now
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fall — the season
  14. key — in music
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bound — certain
  20. fall — to drop
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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