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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — for digging
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lean — thin
  5. snap — to click
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — a match
  8. mark — a grade
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. current — happening now
  18. march — music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mark — a trace
  21. current — electric
  22. game — wild animals
  23. current — of water
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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