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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. current — electric
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. current — of water
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. current — happening now
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kick — in football

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