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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. current — of water
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — happening now
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rash — a series
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — hasty
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. kick — in football
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. current — electric

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