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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mate — to breed
  9. tube — a container
  10. game — a match
  11. mate — a friend
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. current — of water
  20. game — wild animals
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cold — not warm
  24. calf — of the leg

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