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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. current — of water
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rash — a series
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. current — happening now
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rash — hasty
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. current — electric
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pop — music
  23. row — a line
  24. perch — for a bird

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