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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a great time
  3. current — electric
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rash — hasty
  7. track — a song
  8. current — of water
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. current — happening now
  15. clip — to cut
  16. degree — from a university
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. track — a path
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kick — in football
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rash — a series
  24. degree — an amount

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