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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: firm · rule · current · trunk · kid · fan · snap · bowl

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. snap — to click
  2. rule — government
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rule — a law
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. firm — steady
  13. current — happening now
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. firm — a company
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. firm — decided
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rule — to rule out
  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