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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. current — happening now
  6. bark — to shout
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cold — an illness
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. current — electric
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bulb — for light
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. current — of water
  24. racket — for tennis

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