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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. current — electric
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. capital — money
  6. track — to keep track
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mug — to rob
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — a path
  11. current — of water
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. track — a song
  16. current — happening now
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mug — a cup
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mug — a face
  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