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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. current — happening now
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — a thing
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. current — electric
  10. object — an aim
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — of water
  17. vault — a safe
  18. object — to protest
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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