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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wind — moving air
  3. drill — army training
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wind — moving air
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. current — electric
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. kick — in football
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. drill — the tool
  18. charge — a price
  19. prune — to trim
  20. current — of water
  21. drill — a practice
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. current — happening now
  24. wind — to turn a key

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