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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. last — finally
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ground — a position
  4. current — of water
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ground — crushed
  8. current — happening now
  9. row — a line
  10. cap — a lid
  11. last — final
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. current — electric
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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