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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. last — to go on
  3. current — electric
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. toast — bread
  7. current — of water
  8. rush — hurry
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bark — to shout
  14. snap — to click
  15. last — final
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. last — finally
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bark — a dog's sound

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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