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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. current — happening now
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. current — electric
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bore — to drill
  23. row — a line
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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