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

Word bank: current · net · march · perch · kick · stick · staff · kid

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. staff — a stick
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. current — electric
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. current — of water
  9. net — after costs
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kick — in football
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. staff — employees
  16. net — for catching
  17. current — happening now
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. march — music
  20. net — in sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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