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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. current — of water
  6. spell — letters
  7. kick — in football
  8. net — for catching
  9. mine — for digging
  10. current — electric
  11. rule — a law
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rule — government
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. net — in sport
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — happening now
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bowl — a dish

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