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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. current — of water
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lean — thin
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cue — for pool
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pit — in a race
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. current — electric
  15. pit — a hole
  16. row — a line
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. current — happening now
  19. cue — a hint
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — low music
  24. row — to paddle

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