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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. current — of water
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. band — a ring
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. dip — to sink
  9. current — happening now
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. scale — size or range
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. sharp — clever
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. band — a music group
  19. branch — a division
  20. ball — a great time
  21. current — electric
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. scale — in music
  24. snap — to click

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