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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. row — a line
  4. court — of a king
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pop — to visit
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. court — for sport
  9. pop — soda
  10. pit — in a race
  11. court — of law
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pit — a hole
  17. current — electric
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. pop — music
  23. deal — to handle
  24. calf — of the leg

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