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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. tube — the underground
  5. drill — a practice
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. drill — army training
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. kick — in football
  10. current — electric
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tube — a container
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — a trail
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. current — happening now
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. drill — the tool
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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