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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.

Make a worksheet

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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. current — happening now
  4. chair — a leader
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. net — in sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — after costs
  17. pit — in a race
  18. degree — temperature

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