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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — happening now
  6. drill — army training
  7. current — of water
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cue — a hint
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. kick — in football
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — of the year
  18. cue — for pool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. roll — a list
  22. season — in sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wind — moving air

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