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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stock — goods
  6. kick — in football
  7. current — electric
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. current — happening now
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. current — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. chair — a professorship

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