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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. current — of water
  4. game — a match
  5. capital — a city
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. firm — a company
  9. current — happening now
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. game — wild animals
  12. capital — money
  13. rule — a law
  14. firm — decided
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. firm — steady
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. current — electric
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rule — government

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