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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. current — happening now
  7. court — of a king
  8. current — electric
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. file — a document
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. court — of law
  22. file — a tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  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