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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. current — of water
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. hand — help
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fork — in a road
  9. snap — to click
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. current — happening now
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. current — electric
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wind — moving air

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