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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. present — there
  3. rash — hasty
  4. present — a gift
  5. current — happening now
  6. rash — a series
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rock — music
  12. present — the time now
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — a stone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. capital — money
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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