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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. game — a match
  5. clip — to cut
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. current — electric
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. current — happening now
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rest — a break
  13. clip — a video
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. snap — to click
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — for paper
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rest — what's left
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. foot — a measure

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