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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. current — electric
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. current — of water
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pop — music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pop — soda
  16. current — happening now
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. season — in sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. season — of the year
  21. track — a path
  22. kick — in football
  23. track — a song
  24. pop — to visit

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