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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — to shout
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — crushed
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — happening now
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — in football
  18. snap — to click
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ground — a position
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ground — the earth

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