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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. kid — child
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rock — a stone
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pass — a permit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. current — electric
  18. file — a document
  19. current — happening now
  20. file — a tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rock — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a line of people

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