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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. ball — a great time
  5. face — to point toward
  6. current — electric
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — after costs
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ball — a dance
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. net — for catching
  14. mark — a grade
  15. current — happening now
  16. snap — to click
  17. kick — in football
  18. net — in sport
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. face — to confront
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. current — of water
  24. bass — the fish

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