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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 124 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. current — happening now
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. toast — bread
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. capital — money
  16. chip — for betting
  17. current — electric
  18. wake — a trail
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. current — of water
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. capital — a city

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