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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. tube — a container
  3. chip — to eat
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bore — to drill
  6. club — for golf
  7. current — happening now
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. current — electric
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wind — moving air
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. club — a group
  16. current — of water
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kick — in football
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wind — to turn a key

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