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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. shower — rain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rash — a series
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. current — happening now
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. content — happy
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. current — electric
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. current — of water
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. object — an aim
  20. rash — hasty
  21. object — a thing
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cell — in biology

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