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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. row — a line
  9. kick — in football
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. shower — rain
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. current — electric
  17. row — to paddle
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fork — in a road
  20. current — happening now
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rash — hasty
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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