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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wake — a trail
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. ball — a dance
  9. current — happening now
  10. ball — a great time
  11. current — of water
  12. bound — obliged
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. snap — to click
  18. field — a subject
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. current — electric
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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