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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. current — of water
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. key — in music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mark — a trace
  8. band — a ring
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ground — crushed
  11. key — the most important part
  12. current — happening now
  13. bound — certain
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. current — electric
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mark — a grade
  21. band — a music group
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. ground — a position
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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