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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rest — a break
  3. bank — of a river
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — to go on
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bank — for money

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