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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wind — moving air
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. kid — child
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. current — electric
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. current — happening now
  23. mine — for digging
  24. temple — a place of worship

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