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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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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. clip — for paper
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. clip — a video
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — of water
  11. ground — the earth
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — to cut
  14. staff — employees
  15. rash — hasty
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. current — happening now
  19. rash — a series
  20. kick — in football
  21. season — in sport
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. staff — a stick
  24. season — of the year

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