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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · field · saw · calf · cell · cold · current · pit

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. current — electric
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — for sport
  13. cell — a phone
  14. current — of water
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. current — happening now
  17. field — a subject
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cell — in biology
  21. saw — the tool
  22. field — farmland
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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