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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. field — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. can — a tin
  7. object — to protest
  8. cap — of ice
  9. sharp — clever
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. object — an aim
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cap — a lid
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. current — of water
  21. can — a tin
  22. object — a thing
  23. can — to be able to
  24. current — happening now

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