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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pop — soda
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. current — electric
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. current — of water
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kick — in football
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — music
  24. current — happening now

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