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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rash — a series
  4. game — wild animals
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. current — electric
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bark — to shout
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. suit — to fit
  24. rash — hasty

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