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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — a series
  8. degree — an amount
  9. current — happening now
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. dip — to sink
  19. current — electric
  20. rash — hasty
  21. kick — in football
  22. degree — temperature
  23. current — of water
  24. dip — to dunk

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