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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. current — of water
  4. rest — a break
  5. march — the month
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. degree — an amount
  11. march — the month
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. march — music
  15. degree — temperature
  16. perch — the fish
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rest — what's left
  19. current — electric
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. current — happening now
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — rain

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