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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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Word bank
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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: current · rule · spell · straw · track · sharp · snap · stand

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. current — happening now
  4. spell — letters
  5. current — of water
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rule — government
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rule — a law
  17. snap — to click
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spell — magic
  21. current — electric
  22. track — a song
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rule — to rule out

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