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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
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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: current · cell · ball · present · chest · march · calf · perch

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chest — a box
  4. present — the time now
  5. current — of water
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. current — electric
  10. present — there
  11. perch — the fish
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a dance
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. march — the month
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. present — a gift
  20. current — happening now
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chest — of your body

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