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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. kick — in football
  3. bear — the animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. snap — to click
  7. spring — the season
  8. charge — in control
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. current — electric
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kick — with a leg

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