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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. current — electric
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kick — in football
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. current — of water
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. toast — bread
  15. chair — a leader
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. current — happening now

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