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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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. cell — in biology
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wake — a trail
  14. current — happening now
  15. cell — a phone
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fall — the season
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fall — to drop
  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