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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. current — electric
  5. mine — for digging
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rest — a break
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. current — happening now
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. track — a song
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. current — of water
  22. cue — for pool
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. rest — what's left

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