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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · calf · dip · sharp · spring · current · cold · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. current — electric
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pit — in a race
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. current — of water
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cold — not warm
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. current — happening now
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spring — of water
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. spring — the season

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