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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. present — the time now
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. object — an aim
  6. present — there
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. object — a thing
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stand — to bear
  12. face — part of the head
  13. clip — to cut
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. face — to confront
  19. current — electric
  20. clip — a video
  21. current — happening now
  22. roll — a cake
  23. present — a gift
  24. current — of water

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