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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — electric
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. last — to go on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a trace
  11. last — finally
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. tear — from crying
  16. current — happening now
  17. board — a committee
  18. mark — a grade
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. current — of water
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mark — to pay attention

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