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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pit — a hole
  7. snap — to click
  8. pit — in a race
  9. current — electric
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ground — crushed
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. lean — thin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chair — a leader
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. current — happening now
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. current — of water

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