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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — hurry
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. drill — a practice
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. current — electric
  14. spring — of water
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitch — completely
  17. current — of water
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. spring — the season
  20. current — happening now
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. drill — army training
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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