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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rest — what's left
  3. shower — rain
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. present — there
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. land — ground
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. present — a gift
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — to wash
  14. current — electric
  15. present — the time now
  16. current — of water
  17. field — for sport
  18. current — happening now
  19. field — a subject
  20. rush — hurry
  21. land — to come down
  22. field — farmland
  23. land — a country
  24. rest — a break

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