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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. roll — a cake
  12. current — electric
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. current — happening now
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wake — a trail
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. current — of water

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