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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. swing — to play on
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. swing — music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. current — happening now
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cue — for pool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cue — a hint
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cue — a signal

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