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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. current — happening now
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. current — electric
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fall — the season
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fall — to drop
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. game — a match
  22. mug — to rob
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. current — of water

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