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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. current — of water
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. land — ground
  7. kick — in football
  8. shower — to wash
  9. craft — a skill
  10. shower — rain
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. current — electric
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — happening now
  17. degree — from a university
  18. land — to come down
  19. degree — temperature
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. land — a country
  23. hand — help
  24. craft — boats

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