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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: current · racket · kick · last · fan · degree · leaves · fall

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. current — electric
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — final
  5. fall — the season
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. kick — in football
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. degree — an amount
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. degree — temperature
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. last — finally
  18. current — of water
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. degree — from a university
  21. current — happening now
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. racket — for tennis

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