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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. current — happening now
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. current — electric
  9. track — a path
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — of water
  14. staff — employees
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. track — a song
  19. season — in sport
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. season — of the year
  23. staff — employees
  24. track — to keep track

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