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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. mark — a grade
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stock — shares
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. current — happening now
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stock — goods
  13. drill — army training
  14. current — electric
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. game — a match
  18. plane — a tool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. drill — a practice
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. current — of water
  24. mark — a trace

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