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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. current — electric
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. kick — in football
  9. current — happening now
  10. pit — a hole
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — in a race
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. snap — to click
  22. swing — music
  23. current — of water
  24. foot — a measure

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