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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. current — electric
  5. field — farmland
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bank — for money
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bank — for money
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mate — a friend
  15. current — happening now
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. field — a subject
  19. current — of water
  20. kick — in football
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bank — of a river
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. field — for sport

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