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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. current — happening now
  7. ball — a great time
  8. season — in sport
  9. current — of water
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. last — finally
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. season — of the year
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. current — electric
  19. pound — a weight
  20. last — to go on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. last — final
  23. season — to add flavour
  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