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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cue — a signal
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. charge — a price
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mine — for digging
  11. current — of water
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. charge — in control
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cue — for pool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hand — help
  22. kick — in football
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mine — belonging to me

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