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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. current — of water
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. land — a country
  12. staff — employees
  13. squash — the sport
  14. current — electric
  15. scale — in music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. staff — a stick
  18. scale — size or range
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. current — happening now
  24. staff — employees

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