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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. mug — a cup
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. current — of water
  7. mug — a face
  8. current — happening now
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. scale — in music
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. current — electric
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. snap — to click
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. spring — of water

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