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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. current — electric
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. sharp — clever
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. game — a match
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. game — wild animals
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. bulb — for light

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