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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: current · kick · wind · rash · deal · snap · press · field

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. current — electric
  4. press — newspapers
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. current — of water
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. field — a subject
  14. current — happening now
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. rash — a series
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. field — for sport
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. field — farmland
  24. snap — to click

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