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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. current — electric
  3. object — a thing
  4. last — final
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. object — to protest
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cap — of ice
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. shower — to wash
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. current — of water
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cap — a lid
  22. object — an aim
  23. current — happening now
  24. saw — the tool

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