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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to click
  3. current — electric
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. degree — from a university
  6. current — happening now
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. degree — an amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. clip — for paper
  17. tube — a container
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. degree — temperature
  23. current — of water
  24. tube — the underground

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