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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. snap — to click
  3. current — of water
  4. mark — a grade
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. kick — in football
  8. rash — a series
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — hasty
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. current — happening now
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — the season
  24. kick — a thrill

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