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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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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: bat · current · mine · content · bay · firm · stick · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. current — electric
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. current — of water
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. firm — a company
  12. current — happening now
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. content — happy
  15. bat — the animal
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kick — in football
  20. content — the amount
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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