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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. game — wild animals
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spell — letters
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. spell — magic
  12. game — a match
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spell — a short time
  15. current — happening now
  16. pop — to visit
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pit — in a race
  19. kick — in football
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pit — a hole
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. kick — a thrill

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