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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — all right
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fine — high quality
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bat — the animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. squash — the sport
  20. staff — employees
  21. current — of water
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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