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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kick — in football
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. current — of water
  6. perch — the fish
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. current — happening now
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — hasty
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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