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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. face — part of the head
  6. perch — the fish
  7. current — of water
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tube — a container
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kick — in football
  24. perch — for a bird

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