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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ground — crushed
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. current — happening now
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. hand — help
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bass — low music
  17. current — electric
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. current — of water
  21. ground — a position
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bass — the fish
  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