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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pop — music
  3. foot — a measure
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. spring — a coil
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spring — the season
  8. snap — to click
  9. tear — from crying
  10. firm — steady
  11. spring — of water
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. current — electric
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. firm — a company
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tear — to rip
  20. current — of water
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. current — happening now
  23. firm — decided
  24. tear — from crying

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