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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — of water
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — a video
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. current — electric
  11. clip — to cut
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mine — for digging
  22. current — happening now
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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