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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — finally
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  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