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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. roll — a cake
  3. last — final
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. current — happening now
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — help
  17. present — there
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. roll — a list
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. current — of water

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