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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. game — a match
  4. clip — for paper
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. current — electric
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. current — of water
  17. clip — to cut
  18. game — wild animals
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. current — happening now
  24. clip — a video

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