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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fine — all right
  6. rest — a break
  7. spell — letters
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fine — high quality
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. squash — the sport
  21. spell — magic
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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