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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. current — electric
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. charge — electricity
  19. current — happening now
  20. fine — high quality
  21. current — of water
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — hurry
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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