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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: snap · trunk · kid · squash · foot · sharp · current · rule

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rule — a law
  8. foot — a measure
  9. current — electric
  10. snap — to click
  11. rule — government
  12. squash — to crush
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. current — of water
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. current — happening now
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kid — to tease
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. squash — the sport
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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