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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. kick — in football
  4. mate — to breed
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. current — happening now
  9. season — of the year
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — a country
  13. current — of water
  14. mate — a partner
  15. current — electric
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. season — in sport
  18. land — to come down
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. land — ground
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hand — in cards
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hand — help

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