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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mate — a partner
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. current — of water
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. file — a document
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cue — a hint
  14. current — electric
  15. cue — a signal
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. file — a line of people
  18. staff — employees
  19. scale — in music
  20. current — happening now
  21. mate — a friend
  22. snap — to click
  23. file — a tool
  24. cue — for pool

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