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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. land — to come down
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. current — electric
  6. stand — to bear
  7. ball — a great time
  8. current — happening now
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. track — to keep track
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. ball — a dance
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. track — a path
  16. board — a committee
  17. current — of water
  18. craft — boats
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. track — a song
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. craft — a skill

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