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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: snap · scale · current · key · pound · sharp · kick · object

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. snap — to click
  4. pound — a weight
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. current — happening now
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. object — an aim
  10. key — for a lock
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. current — of water
  13. kick — in football
  14. key — in music
  15. object — a thing
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. sharp — clever
  18. object — to protest
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pound — to hit hard

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