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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — to wash
  4. file — a tool
  5. row — to paddle
  6. current — electric
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. file — a document
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. press — to push
  13. row — a line
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. press — a publisher
  18. file — a line of people
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. current — of water
  23. press — newspapers
  24. shower — rain

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