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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. row — to paddle
  5. season — of the year
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pass — a permit
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. row — a line
  14. current — of water
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. season — in sport
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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