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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. file — a line of people
  3. clip — for paper
  4. current — electric
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. track — to keep track
  10. file — a tool
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. file — a document
  13. track — a path
  14. clip — to cut
  15. current — of water
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. track — a song
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. dip — to sink
  20. current — happening now
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — a video
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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