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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. file — a document
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. current — happening now
  7. hand — in cards
  8. current — of water
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — help
  17. current — electric
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. field — farmland
  21. squash — the sport
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. squash — to crush

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