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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. net — for catching
  5. ground — crushed
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hand — in cards
  8. net — in sport
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. current — electric
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hand — help
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. tube — a container
  17. net — after costs
  18. current — of water
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. tube — in a tire
  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