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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 · fall · cabinet · kid · calf · pop · drill · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. current — happening now
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pop — soda
  12. current — electric
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — a practice
  15. current — of water
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. drill — army training
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. game — a match
  22. fall — the season
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. game — wild animals

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