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

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bore — to tire
  5. firm — a company
  6. wind — moving air
  7. firm — steady
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. firm — decided
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cap — of ice

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