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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — to tire
  6. current — of water
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rest — what's left
  11. current — happening now
  12. swing — in golf
  13. field — a subject
  14. rest — a break
  15. field — for sport
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — farmland
  19. current — electric
  20. swing — music
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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