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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cold — not warm
  4. chest — a box
  5. charge — in control
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. current — of water
  10. chest — of your body
  11. row — to paddle
  12. current — electric
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — a price
  16. date — the fruit
  17. charge — electricity
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — of your body
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. current — happening now
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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