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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kid — child
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. kick — in football
  8. last — to go on
  9. kid — to tease
  10. current — of water
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ground — crushed
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ground — a position
  17. current — electric
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. current — happening now
  21. ground — the earth
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cell — a phone

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