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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. current — electric
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — happening now
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. court — of a king
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kick — in football
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. court — for sport
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. current — of water

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