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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. track — a song
  3. current — electric
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cap — of ice
  8. row — a line
  9. current — of water
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. row — to paddle
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. track — to keep track
  16. current — happening now
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. cap — a hat
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. track — a path

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