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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. perch — the fish
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. chest — a box
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — happening now
  18. land — to come down
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — hurry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chest — of your body

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