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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. current — electric
  14. file — a line of people
  15. current — happening now
  16. file — a tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. kick — in football
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. net — in sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a document
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. current — of water

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