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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. scale — size or range
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. current — happening now
  6. firm — decided
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. game — wild animals
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. current — of water
  17. kick — in football
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. firm — steady
  22. game — a match
  23. current — electric
  24. firm — a company

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