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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — electric
  9. spell — magic
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. current — of water
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. current — happening now
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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