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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — happening now
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to click
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — electric
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. current — of water
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pass — a permit
  24. court — of law

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