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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. chair — a leader
  3. current — electric
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. kick — in football
  8. bat — the animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. tube — a container
  11. lean — to bend
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. current — of water
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — thin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hand — help
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lean — to rest against

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