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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. last — to go on
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. current — happening now
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. can — a tin
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mark — a grade
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. last — final
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mark — a trace
  18. last — finally
  19. hand — help
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. current — of water
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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