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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. fall — to drop
  4. can — a tin
  5. current — electric
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — happening now
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bore — to tire
  13. kick — in football
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — for sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. current — of water
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. can — a tin
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fall — the season
  22. field — farmland
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. field — a subject

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