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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. current — happening now
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. current — of water
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. kick — in football
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pound — a weight
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bulb — for light
  23. current — electric
  24. sharp — clever

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