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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: rest · calf · mug · chair · content · current · squash · straw

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. current — of water
  4. mug — a face
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mug — a cup
  8. squash — the sport
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rest — what's left
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. squash — to crush
  19. current — happening now
  20. content — happy
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rest — a break
  23. current — electric
  24. mug — to rob

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