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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. track — a song
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cold — an illness
  9. current — electric
  10. kick — in football
  11. current — happening now
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cold — not warm
  16. track — a path
  17. current — of water
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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