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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pitch — completely
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. current — electric
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. file — a tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. kick — in football
  13. fine — all right
  14. snap — to click
  15. current — happening now
  16. file — a document
  17. fine — high quality
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. spring — a coil
  20. current — of water
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. file — a line of people
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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