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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. current — of water
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. current — happening now
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. roll — a list
  21. kid — child
  22. mine — for digging
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — a jug

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