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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. land — a country
  7. tube — a container
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. land — to come down
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — ground
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cue — a hint
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wound — an injury
  24. calf — a young animal

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