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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 124 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — a practice
  3. snap — to click
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. current — happening now
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. current — of water
  8. last — final
  9. pitch — completely
  10. capital — a city
  11. drill — army training
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. roll — a list
  14. capital — money
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. roll — a cake
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. last — to go on
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. drill — the tool
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. current — electric

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