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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. current — electric
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. current — of water
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. spring — the season
  17. date — the fruit
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. mine — for digging
  22. current — happening now
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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