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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: rest · snap · foot · board · sharp · current · pop · spring

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. board — to get on
  3. spring — the season
  4. current — happening now
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rest — a break
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. sharp — clever
  12. board — a committee
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. current — electric
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. snap — to click
  18. current — of water
  19. pop — music
  20. foot — a measure
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spring — of water
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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