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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.

Make a worksheet

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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. current — happening now
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bass — the fish
  9. current — electric
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — low music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cold — not warm
  19. game — a match
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. current — of water
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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