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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. track — a song
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. current — electric
  5. hand — help
  6. snap — to click
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rock — a stone
  9. track — a path
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. sharp — clever
  17. hand — in cards
  18. current — of water
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitch — completely
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. current — happening now
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. track — to keep track

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