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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. key — in music
  5. kick — in football
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. current — happening now
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. key — for a lock
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — rain
  18. key — the most important part
  19. shower — to wash
  20. clip — a video
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. clip — to cut
  23. current — of water
  24. snap — to click

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