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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: object · current · hand · clip · game · mine · calf · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hand — help
  3. current — of water
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. current — happening now
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mine — for digging
  13. game — a match
  14. clip — to cut
  15. object — an aim
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. object — to protest
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — a thing
  22. clip — a video
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. current — electric

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