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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 116 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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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 · calf · kid · rush · wound · rule · snap · clip

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rule — government
  7. clip — a video
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. clip — to cut
  11. snap — to click
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rule — a law
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kid — child
  20. current — electric
  21. kid — to tease
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. clip — for paper

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