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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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. present — a gift
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rest — what's left
  7. current — of water
  8. present — there
  9. dip — to sink
  10. current — happening now
  11. present — the time now
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. current — electric
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rest — a break
  19. bear — the animal
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. snap — to click
  22. bear — the animal
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rest — what's left

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