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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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — to sink
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. march — the month
  8. current — of water
  9. march — music
  10. rush — hurry
  11. kick — in football
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. current — happening now
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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