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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. spring — a coil
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kid — to tease
  5. squash — to crush
  6. current — happening now
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kid — child
  9. current — of water
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. current — electric
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spring — the season
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. squash — the sport
  17. suit — to fit
  18. spring — of water
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. suit — in cards
  21. capital — money
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — a city
  24. calf — a young animal

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