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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. 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. roll — a cake
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. row — a line
  6. current — electric
  7. roll — a list
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. row — to paddle
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. spell — magic
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. current — happening now
  22. sharp — clever
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. 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