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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. kick — in football
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spell — letters
  12. row — a line
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. spell — magic
  19. current — happening now
  20. pit — in a race
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mug — to rob
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fork — to eat with

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