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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. row — a line
  5. current — electric
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. can — a tin
  10. capital — a city
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. current — happening now
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. row — to paddle
  16. capital — money
  17. current — of water
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. can — to be able to
  23. ground — a position
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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