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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. current — of water
  4. date — the fruit
  5. current — electric
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. court — for sport
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. staff — a stick
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fine — all right
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fine — high quality
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. bat — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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