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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · snap · cold · leaves · spring · current · kick · patient

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pit — a hole
  5. kick — in football
  6. current — electric
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spring — the season
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. snap — to click
  12. current — of water
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. current — happening now
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cold — not warm
  24. kick — with a leg

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