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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hand — in cards
  4. current — electric
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pitch — completely
  10. current — happening now
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — help
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cell — in biology
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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