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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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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: cold · rush · toast · current · calf · wave · bay · snap

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. current — electric
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rush — hurry
  6. current — of water
  7. toast — bread
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. snap — to click
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. current — happening now
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cold — not warm
  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