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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: pit · spring · can · dip · current · snap · face · march

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pit — in a race
  3. current — happening now
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. can — to be able to
  6. current — of water
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. snap — to click
  10. spring — of water
  11. face — to confront
  12. march — the month
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. spring — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. current — electric
  20. march — music
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. march — the month
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pit — a hole

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