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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pop — music
  8. current — happening now
  9. pop — soda
  10. date — the fruit
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. file — a tool
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mark — a grade
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. file — a document
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. current — of water
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. date — on the calendar

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