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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. snap — to click
  3. current — happening now
  4. pit — in a race
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. spell — magic
  7. hand — help
  8. lean — thin
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lean — to bend
  11. current — of water
  12. spell — letters
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pit — a hole
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bass — low music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. current — electric

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