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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. sharp — clever
  3. current — happening now
  4. bulb — for light
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. current — of water
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pit — a hole
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. current — electric
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stem — of a plant

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