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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. current — happening now
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — of water
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — to wash
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — for digging
  14. shower — rain
  15. band — a ring
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. squash — the sport
  18. current — electric
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. band — a music group

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