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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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 — electric
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. perch — the fish
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — of water
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. net — for catching
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rush — hurry
  10. drill — army training
  11. kick — in football
  12. net — in sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. drill — the tool
  15. net — after costs
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. band — a music group
  22. drill — a practice
  23. current — happening now
  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