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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. hand — help
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. file — a tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fine — all right
  10. pass — a permit
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — in cards
  13. current — electric
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rest — a break
  16. file — a line of people
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. current — of water
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. lean — thin
  24. fine — high quality

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