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

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — in cards
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. content — happy
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. hand — help
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — a tin
  23. content — the amount
  24. cold — not warm

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