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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. shower — rain
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — soda
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. current — electric
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. land — ground
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. current — of water
  16. mine — for digging
  17. land — a country
  18. current — happening now
  19. land — to come down
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. object — a thing
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pop — music
  24. mine — an explosive

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