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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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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: kick · current · cap · mine · roll · drill · fan · last

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. current — happening now
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. drill — army training
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. last — final
  14. current — electric
  15. last — to go on
  16. drill — the tool
  17. last — finally
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — for digging
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. current — of water
  24. kick — in football

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