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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. row — a line
  5. track — a path
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. current — of water
  9. net — after costs
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. kick — in football
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. current — happening now
  14. net — for catching
  15. track — to keep track
  16. net — in sport
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — wild animals
  19. current — electric
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pass — a permit
  22. track — a song
  23. row — to paddle
  24. leaves — of a tree

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