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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — the season
  6. rule — government
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. spring — a coil
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rule — a law
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spring — of water
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. kick — in football
  24. roll — a list

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