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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kick — in football
  4. lie — to recline
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — child
  12. current — of water
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bat — the animal
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — electric
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bat — for baseball

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