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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. row — to paddle
  4. current — happening now
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. swing — music
  11. rest — a break
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. current — electric
  16. clip — a video
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — of water
  22. wake — a trail
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — to cut

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