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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. game — a match
  4. spell — magic
  5. current — electric
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. current — of water
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. current — happening now
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. snap — to click
  19. shower — to wash
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lie — to recline
  23. shower — rain
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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