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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cold — an illness
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. charge — a price
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. current — electric
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — a path
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rash — a series
  16. track — a song
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. track — to keep track
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cold — not warm

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