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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kid — to tease
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. kick — in football
  6. current — of water
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wake — a trail
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. current — happening now
  16. kid — child
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. deal — to handle
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. sharp — clever
  23. march — music
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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