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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. current — electric
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bass — low music
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. snap — to click
  13. current — of water
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. current — happening now
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. firm — decided
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bass — the instrument

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