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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: calf · wake · cold · current · last · file · pound · pitch

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. last — to go on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. current — electric
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. cold — not warm
  20. current — of water
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. calf — a young animal

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