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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: file · kid · current · calf · coach · cap · straw · clip

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. current — happening now
  3. cap — a lid
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kid — to tease
  8. current — of water
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. current — electric
  12. clip — a video
  13. cap — a hat
  14. file — a tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. file — a document
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cap — of ice
  23. clip — to cut
  24. straw — dry grass

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