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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: current · cold · sharp · snap · ground · rock · pop · calf

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pop — soda
  6. current — of water
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — the earth
  9. snap — to click
  10. ground — a position
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ground — crushed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cold — not warm
  18. current — electric
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rock — music
  21. pop — music
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cold — an illness
  24. sharp — clever

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