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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 120 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: sharp · snap · stick · deal · chest · face · race · current

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. deal — to handle
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chest — a box
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. race — humankind
  12. chest — of your body
  13. face — part of the head
  14. current — electric
  15. snap — to click
  16. current — of water
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. face — to confront
  24. current — happening now

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