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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bass — the fish
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. roll — a list
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. band — a ring
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. band — a music group
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bass — low music
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pitch — a sports field

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