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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. kick — in football
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. root — the cause
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. object — an aim
  16. board — a committee
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. board — to get on
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. root — of a word
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  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