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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. current — electric
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. press — to push
  9. cold — an illness
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ball — a great time
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. current — of water
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. current — happening now
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ball — a round shape

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