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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. race — a contest
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — of water
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. race — the arms race
  12. current — electric
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. track — a path
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kid — child
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. race — humankind
  21. track — a song
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. current — happening now

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