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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. current — electric
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. current — happening now
  8. ground — a position
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — low music
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bass — the fish
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. row — a line
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. current — of water
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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