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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: pass · wind · dip · current · snap · mate · last · kick

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mate — to breed
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mate — a friend
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. snap — to click
  15. kick — in football
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. last — finally
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — to go on

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