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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: game · mouse · current · track · calf · chest · file · object

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. file — a tool
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. current — happening now
  6. track — a song
  7. object — a thing
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. object — to protest
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. file — a document
  13. track — to keep track
  14. game — a match
  15. object — an aim
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — of water
  21. chest — a box
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. track — a path

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