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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. current — electric
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — a phone
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wax — to grow
  9. club — for golf
  10. object — to protest
  11. club — a group
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. object — a thing
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. object — an aim
  20. lie — to recline
  21. current — of water
  22. cell — in biology
  23. current — happening now
  24. cell — in a prison

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