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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · current · deal · bat · trunk · mark · rest · court

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mark — a trace
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. deal — to handle
  7. court — of a king
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rest — what's left
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. snap — to click
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. court — for sport
  18. current — of water
  19. court — of law
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rest — a break
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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