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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. kick — in football
  2. club — for golf
  3. face — part of the head
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. face — to point toward
  6. current — electric
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. perch — the fish
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. club — for dancing
  11. face — to confront
  12. current — happening now
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — the season
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. club — a group
  21. current — of water
  22. fall — to drop
  23. date — the fruit
  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