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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. swing — to play on
  6. squash — the sport
  7. tube — the underground
  8. swing — in golf
  9. squash — to crush
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — happening now
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. drill — army training
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. swing — music
  21. kick — in football
  22. drill — a practice
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. tube — a container

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