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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. object — to protest
  5. plane — a tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. object — a thing
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cold — an illness
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cold — not warm
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. current — of water
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — electric
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. object — an aim
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. current — happening now

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