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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pop — soda
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spell — a short time
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. spell — magic
  14. bat — the animal
  15. current — electric
  16. spell — letters
  17. kick — in football
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pop — to visit
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. current — happening now
  24. pop — music

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