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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. spell — letters
  3. kick — in football
  4. cue — a hint
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spell — magic
  7. root — of a word
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cue — for pool
  11. current — happening now
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pitch — completely
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. spell — a short time

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