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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. board — a committee
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cold — not warm
  10. board — to get on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cold — an illness
  18. race — humankind
  19. ground — a position
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pound — to hit hard

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