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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. current — electric
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cold — not warm
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. current — happening now
  13. cell — a phone
  14. capital — money
  15. current — of water
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mug — a face
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — a city
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cold — an illness

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