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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. current — happening now
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. game — wild animals
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — to drop
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. current — of water
  19. game — a match
  20. fall — to drop
  21. branch — a division
  22. current — electric
  23. fall — the season
  24. straw — dry grass

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