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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. current — happening now
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tear — from crying
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. tear — to rip
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. current — electric
  16. sharp — clever
  17. current — of water
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. snap — to click
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. sharp — with an edge

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