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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. current — electric
  7. shower — to wash
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. current — of water
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. kick — in football
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. current — happening now
  17. shower — rain
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rash — hasty
  24. kick — with a leg

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