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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. game — wild animals
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mark — a grade
  13. game — a match
  14. row — to paddle
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. current — of water
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. current — electric
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. row — a line
  21. current — happening now
  22. hand — help
  23. mark — a trace
  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