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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pit — a hole
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. game — a match
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cold — not warm
  8. current — of water
  9. cold — an illness
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. current — happening now
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bank — of a river
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — in football
  18. bank — for money
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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