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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 120 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 · pitcher · kid · saw · club · snap · chest

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — of water
  7. kid — to tease
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — a box
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. saw — the tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. current — electric
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. current — happening now
  21. chest — of your body
  22. club — a group
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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