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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. current — happening now
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. current — electric
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. current — of water
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. chest — a box
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. shower — rain
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. ground — a position

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