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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 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. current — of water
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ground — a position
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pop — to visit
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — soda
  17. kick — in football
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pop — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. chest — a box
  24. ground — the earth

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