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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. snap — to click
  6. bound — tied together
  7. track — to keep track
  8. current — of water
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. track — a path
  13. wake — a trail
  14. face — to confront
  15. bound — certain
  16. current — electric
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bound — obliged
  23. track — a song
  24. current — happening now

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