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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 116 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. current — of water
  4. kick — in football
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — final
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. last — finally
  12. pass — a permit
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. club — for golf
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pass — to succeed

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