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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — of water
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. can — a tin
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cold — not warm
  14. current — happening now
  15. bat — the animal
  16. can — to be able to
  17. current — electric
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wave — of the sea

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