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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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. kid — to tease
  4. current — happening now
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitch — completely
  9. kick — in football
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kid — child
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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