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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 120 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: current · cold · dip · kick · bowl · hide · ground · calf

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. current — of water
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. current — happening now
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. current — electric
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ground — a position
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ground — the earth

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