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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pit — in a race
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. content — happy
  6. kid — child
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. wake — a trail
  10. content — the amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cap — a hat
  14. current — electric
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ground — the earth
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cap — of ice
  23. current — happening now
  24. calf — of the leg

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