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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. suit — in cards
  4. branch — a division
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cold — not warm
  8. current — happening now
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mug — a cup
  14. current — of water
  15. bass — low music
  16. snap — to click
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cold — an illness
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. current — electric
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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