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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. field — a subject
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cue — a hint
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lie — to recline
  10. toast — bread
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. field — farmland
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. degree — from a university
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. calf — of the leg

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