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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. current — of water
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. current — happening now
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. ball — a dance
  9. net — in sport
  10. cell — a phone
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. object — to protest
  13. ball — a great time
  14. object — a thing
  15. net — after costs
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cell — in biology
  20. net — for catching
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. current — electric
  23. object — an aim
  24. chip — to eat

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