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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. current — electric
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kick — in football
  6. rest — a break
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bore — to tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. current — of water
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rest — what's left
  15. season — in sport
  16. bore — to drill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. racket — a loud noise

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