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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 116 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. net — in sport
  7. current — of water
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. current — electric
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. plane — a tool
  13. kid — child
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. current — happening now
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. kid — to tease
  20. net — after costs
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. net — for catching
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. leaves — of a tree

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