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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. kick — with a leg
  2. file — a tool
  3. current — electric
  4. key — in music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fine — all right
  7. drill — army training
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. drill — the tool
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pop — soda
  14. file — a document
  15. kick — in football
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pop — to visit
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pop — music
  22. current — of water
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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