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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 124 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. key — in music
  4. date — the fruit
  5. press — a publisher
  6. key — for a lock
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. current — electric
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. net — for catching
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. net — after costs
  17. press — to push
  18. current — happening now
  19. net — in sport
  20. key — the most important part
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. current — of water
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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