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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. chest — a box
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. scale — size or range
  9. current — happening now
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. scale — in music
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. shower — rain
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. shower — to wash
  21. current — of water
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. current — electric

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