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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. land — a country
  3. row — a line
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — to come down
  6. spell — letters
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — ground
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bore — to drill
  14. current — electric
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. current — of water
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bore — to tire
  24. current — happening now

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