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

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mark — a grade
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. mark — a trace
  18. current — of water

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