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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stand — to bear
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. capital — a city
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. swing — in golf
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. capital — money
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. current — happening now

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