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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — clever
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. drill — a practice
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. drill — the tool
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. current — electric
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pass — a permit
  17. current — of water
  18. foot — a measure
  19. current — happening now
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bass — the fish
  22. drill — army training
  23. bass — low music
  24. pound — for dogs

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