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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. band — a ring
  3. mine — for digging
  4. band — a music group
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — happening now
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. current — electric
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. current — of water
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wound — an injury

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