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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. fall — to drop
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. file — a document
  10. net — in sport
  11. spell — magic
  12. current — happening now
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. prune — to trim
  16. current — of water
  17. fall — the season
  18. file — a tool
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. current — electric
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spell — letters
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — clever

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