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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. current — electric
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — to paddle
  6. current — of water
  7. field — a subject
  8. tear — from crying
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. present — there
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. suit — clothes
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. present — the time now
  17. suit — in cards
  18. kick — in football
  19. suit — to fit
  20. field — for sport
  21. current — happening now
  22. present — a gift
  23. field — farmland
  24. saw — the tool

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