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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. last — finally
  7. lean — thin
  8. can — a tin
  9. current — of water
  10. last — final
  11. current — happening now
  12. last — to go on
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. current — electric
  22. can — a tin
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pitcher — a jug

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