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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. rash — a series
  5. kick — in football
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. current — happening now
  9. season — in sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. net — after costs
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. perch — the fish
  15. shower — rain
  16. net — for catching
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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