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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. current — happening now
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — electric
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. swing — music
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rock — music
  17. current — of water
  18. rock — a stone
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pitcher — a jug

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