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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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468
Word bank
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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. march — music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. current — electric
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. current — of water
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — in music
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — in football
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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