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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: kick · bat · rock · current · mouse · snap · cap · bound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. kick — in football
  5. current — electric
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bound — certain
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bound — obliged
  20. current — of water
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. current — happening now
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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