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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. firm — a company
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cue — a signal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to click
  7. perch — the fish
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. firm — steady
  12. wind — moving air
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cue — for pool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cue — a hint
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. firm — decided
  20. current — of water
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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