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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. board — a committee
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. current — electric
  5. swing — to play on
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. board — to get on
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. swing — in golf
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. snap — to click
  17. swing — music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mouse — for a computer

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