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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. current — happening now
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. current — electric
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. current — of water
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kick — in football
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rock — a stone
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rock — music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cell — in a prison

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