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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. row — to paddle
  3. kick — in football
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. row — a line
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. current — electric
  15. march — the month
  16. current — of water
  17. march — music
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. march — the month

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