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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lean — thin
  10. current — happening now
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kick — in football
  14. cue — a hint
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. kick — a thrill
  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